"Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to let you in."

-- Robert Frost

Thursday, June 2, 2016

nyc

Over Memorial Day weekend, Newel and I took a quick trip to NYC for some personal business.

Neither of us had ever visited this city so we were pretty excited to be in "The Big Apple".

We must have walked a hundred miles over the weekend. I'm pretty sure our upturned faces and grins from ear to ear were a greater sight than even some of the tourist attractions.

Right out of the starting gate, we grabbed a bite to eat with the help of our *Yelp* app at a fantastic restaurant.

Burgers and lobsters as a combo ... you can't go wrong.

Then we walked wherever the sidewalk took us.

First stop, the Empire State Building.

I've never seen skyscrapers so tall.

Pretty soon we looked up and we had reached Grand Central Station.

And I'm pretty sure it was Newel's favorite.

We couldn't get enough of that architectural detail.

We just kind of stood there in awe and talked about the millions of people throughout so many eras of time, who had passed through there on their way to & from something or somewhere.

In homeschool, Grant had completed an art unit studying the art in the architecture of some famous buildings which made us pretty excited to stand and gander up at the Chrysler Building and all it's detail simulating car parts.

I loved all the green park spaces and their old rock walls and terraces.

We passed the U.N which was not in session, but cool nevertheless.

Down to the East river.

To sit and rest our feet as the sunset washed over Long Island.

And then headed back to our hotel to make plans for day two.

The next morning, we decided to try our hand at using the subway to get around.

Every single station is different and so full of detail. I think I could have just ridden from stop to stop just to see the variations in stations.

Newel did an excellent job at directing us from place to place.

We walked past the state buildings.

And then took a stroll across the Brooklyn Bridge.

Annie is so in love with the idea of these "eternal locks" on bridges. I had to snap a photo for her.

Then we headed down to see the Statue of Liberty. After all ... it was Memorial Day and what better way to celebrate then to remember why our country is so worth fighting for.

We didn't have the time to take the ferry for a closer look, but there she is as close as we could get.

We headed back uptown in search of some lunch and a quiet sit under the eaves here:

Oh wow, does that temple feel peaceful amid a whole lot of chaos.

After a bit of a rest .... and a quick shower because the early summer humidity was pretty thick ... we headed back out for a Broadway Show.

I probably could have spent all night in the theater district, just wandering around and taking it all in.

We stuck with a classic we had never seen on a stage and were not disappointed.

The world eats late in New York, so we grabbed a burger at the Shake Shack which I heard is a must ... and having experienced it, I can see why.

And then made our way through the nighttime view of Time's Square.

Which was good to do once.

Newel loved that his accounting competitor, Ernst & Young, was located on the corner.

There are all these random folks dressed in costumes trying to jump into a picture for money. Newel was grabbing a pic of the square and this Spiderman guy, would not leave him alone.

I think he thought he was sharing a selfie.

But no.

Sorry, Spidey, keep on walkin'.

The following morning, we headed to Central Park, beginning with brunch at Tavern on the Green.

And then opted for a really cheesy carriage ride around the park to get the quickest view since our time was pretty short.

Jerry knew everything about everything and showed us all there is to see.

There was this guy air boxing away with all his might like a real life Rocky Balboa.

And guitar playing horse guy.

Central Park was huge and I wish we'd had more time time there.

On the way back to the hotel, I kind of got a kick out of this:

That van had music blaring out of it's windows and we had a good laugh about how if Newel's current career ever fails, all is not lost ... there's still ways to make the magic happen ... even as a CPA on wheels.

That's the guy I want doing my taxes, for sure ;)

Cuz talk about entrepreneurial spirit!

There was a little time in the afternoon to catch up with a great friend from college days. So fun to spend even just a little bit wrapped up in some wonderful memories.

At the last minute, we decided to see another classic show.

Les Miserables is closing on Broadway indefinitely so we had to take advantage of what could be a once in a lifetime experience.

I've been singing it's songs ever since.

After the show, Newel and I just had to tell the tech guy at the back of the theater how amazing his work was.

When your daughter is studying exactly what this guy is doing at the very top of the profession ... you realize that all of his work really makes the show.

I think we shocked him.

Nobody ever thanks the tech guy.

And then we took our small country ways and gigantic grins home to Colorado for some much needed elbow room.

Rainman and I are planning to do this kind of trip someday. So, when our time comes, I hope I remember that you did this so I can pick you brain about places to stay, feeling safe, how you got your tickets, etc. You two looked really happy with your big, old grins!

Yes! Let me know!! It can be a pricey trip for sure but there's so much to see that doesn't cost a thing and we didn't even scratch the surface. From a distance we saw the amazing Public library, the 9/11 memorial, Chinatown, Little Italy, Wall Street. Every street had something recognizable. We'd look up and say "Hey! This is Waiverly Place!!" or "There's the Waldord-Historia!" or "No wonder we are in a traffic jam ... There are news crews lining the front of Trump tower". Before I knew it, we flew past Radio City Music Hall and I remembered how every thanksgiving I had promised myself I would cmcrow up to be a Rockette like those in the parade ;) Tge city felt very safe, but we quoted godfather scenes nonetheless. You will love it! Can't go wrong at any turn.

She would love it! It's definitely a city for the young ;) we didn't have any trouble getting tickets. Both were kind of at the last minute. Shows run nightly so there's a never ending flow of availability. I seriously could have just gone to see a show a night if time had allowed. Celia wasn't too happy about playing babysitter for the weekend while we stomped her scene ;)